To Monaco, With Love
by burntphotograph
Summary: Post 5.24. Dan goes to Monaco to find out what happened. One shot.


By the time Dan and Georgina arrived at the airport Dan's anger had turned to sadness and a long list of unanswered questions. He had tried to put the pieces of the last few days together in his head but he had constantly fallen short.

As they waited in line, Dan felt a vibration from his phone. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. When he clicked the screen he saw it was a new Gossip Girl blast. A glutton for punishment, he clicked again to read it.

"Spotted: Queen B in Monaco. Has she traded in Lonely Boy for another Prince? This time, of Darkness. Word is Chuck's been seen there in casinos crying over his daddy taking away his company. I guess he called in for a nursemaid to help him through this difficult time."

"Oh my God." Dan said to himself as he read the blast

"What?" Georgina asked

"Blair's in Monaco."

"Monaco? Why, to see Louis? Can she make up her mind already."

"No, Chuck." Dan said in disbelief

"Blair went to Monaco to see Chuck? Oh that's rich." Georgina snickered "What happened between you anyway?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Dan answered "I asked her to tell me how she felt before we went to Rome for the summer but she never showed up. Serena told me she went to see Chuck."

"So you don't know for sure?"

"No."

"Okay. Uh, so you're upset about something that you don't even know the specifics of? You didn't even talk to her?" Georgina asked

"No."

"That's great Dan." Georgina said sarcastically "This is the woman you love and you just made assumptions about what happened."

"No. You're right. I did."

"I think you have the wrong ticket" Georgina said "You should be going to Monaco, not Rome."

"What for? She chose Chuck."

"Oh, did she? You heard her say that?" Georgina scoffed and handed him her ticket "Here, I'm going home. You are going to Monaco. If you still want revenge, you know where to find me."

Georgina smiled and walked away. Dan stood in line thinking about her suggestion. Georgina was crazy, but she was right. As he rounded the corner to his turn in line he requested they change the two tickets to Rome to one ticket to Monaco. Luckily, a flight left in a couple of hours and he was able to make the trade seamlessly.

The flight to Monaco was long, but Dan kept entertained with the books he had brought and working on pieces of _Monarch of Manhattan_. When the plane touched down he immediately went to the information desk to inquire about casinos. After getting a list from the helpful employee, he set out first to the most extravagant one first. It seemed most likely.

As he walked up the steps to the casino he realized wasn't dressed properly. Since he thought he was going to a writing retreat in Rome, he had not packed a tuxedo. Pushing that fact aside, he walked in to a hallway connected to the hotel attached to the casino in order to figure out how he would get onto the main floor to see if he could spot Blair.

As he rounded the corner and saw Blair coming out of a room and into the hallway. Suddenly fear came over him and he wondered what he was doing there in the first place. It took everything in his power to speak.

"Blair." Dan said calmly

The brunette stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head so he could see one of her brown eyes. Assured that it was her, he walked toward her.

"Blair. You lied to me."

He walked until he was right behind her and stood in silence until she finally spoke.

"Dan. What- what are you doing here?" she said timidly as she turned around

He removed his phone from his pocket and held it up to her.

"A Gossip Girl blast. It's come down to me finding out where you are from a Gossip Girl blast."

Blair avoided eye contact and turned her head to the side. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again

"I had to know the truth. I didn't want it to be ten years and four books later with me trying to figure out what happened. What changed."

Blair continued to look down as Dan asked,

"What happened between three days ago when you were planning restaurants for us in Rome and now? What happened between you assuring me you weren't still in love with Chuck and now? What happened between you seeing me at the Sheppard's party and now?" He paused before asking the question he really wanted the answer to, "Why didn't you just tell me you were still in love with Chuck?"

Blair's eyes were full of tears. She looked up at him, into his eyes, as the first started streaming down her cheek.

"I was on my way to the party" she said, a lump in the back of her throat "and I stopped at the Empire to tell Chuck that it was over between us. When I got there, Bart had just announced he was taking back the company. You should have seen the look on his face, Dan. He needs me."

"He needs you? Blair. What do you need?" Dan asked, his anger fading despite his best efforts

"He needs me." she repeated, looking back down again.

"What about me? What about us?" Dan asked as he reached out his hands and held hers.

Blair didn't speak, her muffled sniffs spoke for her, but she didn't draw her hands back. She kept them wrapped tight in his.

"Chuck needs me." she said again, trying to assure herself

Dan sighed and said softly, his eyes also filling with tears "I need you too."

Blair looked up and saw the pain now showing in Dan's face.

"Not as much as he does." she spoke softly, shaking her head, "Dan, you are a great guy. The best. I don't deserve you."

Dan looked up to the ceiling and then back down to Blair.

"I'm really not. I'm selfish. I flew to Monaco to see you. I." he paused "I made out with Serena when you didn't come to the party and she told me you went to Chuck."

"You did?" Blair asked, surprised

"I did." he looked away and dropped her hands, putting his into his pockets, "I was such a mess. She made me think I had created the you I loved in my book and that you'd never feel the same way about me as I do you."

He paused for a second and continued, "Blair, I saw the way you looked at me. You may not have said it, but I saw it. I am sorry if you felt pushed into saying it before you were ready."

"Wow, so she did read my diary" Blair said under her breath

"What?" Dan asked

"I asked her if she had read it before she scanned it and she assured me she had it 'just in case.' It was just so stupid. Now I know she did read it."

"How?"

"Because she knew I loved you." Blair said quietly, loosing eye contact once again.

"What?" Dan asked, his heart beat starting to raise

"She was so mad when I kicked her out of the penthouse and she was probably out for revenge." Blair paused, collected her thoughts, and continued, "So she did the one thing she knew would hurt me. Again."

"Blair." Dan said softly "Do you love me?"

Blair reached out for his hands and held them before she said "Yes."

Dan smiled and leaned over but hesitated before he got to her lips. Blair looked up and him, dropped his hands and grabbed the collar of his shirt to pull him in close. Their lips touched and Dan felt a wave of electricity flow from his lips down his body. He reached his left hand to her head and put his fingers through her hair.

As they pulled away Dan rested his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes that were sparkling again. He smiled to himself how he could have missed her love messages in her eyes before. It was so obvious to him now.

Blair bit her lip and Dan asked breathlessly, "What?"

"What are we going to do now?" Blair asked, concerned, "Chuck needs me."

"I know. But do you need him?"

"No. I need you." Blair said, staring into his eyes "I want you."

"Okay" Dan said pulling away and grasping her hands "then he'll get us."

"Us?" Blair questioned

"Yes, us. We'll help him together."

"But you hate Chuck." Blair teased

"I know, but it's just because I don't know him. Or understand him. But, he's important to you so he's important to me. We're a team, right? We face things head on together."

"Right." Blair smiled

"We can do this - whatever it is you were planning - together." Dan assured her as he brushed a curl away from her forehead

Blair placed her hand on his collar again and played with the button before she looked up and said, "Okay."

Dan leaned over and kissed her again, deeper this time. The passion burning between them. He stroked her head as his tongue twisted with hers, reconnecting them as lovers and establishing them as soulmates. They ended the kiss touching noses in an "Eskimo kiss" which had become their tradition.

Dan placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Okay, what do we do first?"

"Well, convincing Chuck to let you help him will be the first challenge." Blair said taking his hand and leading him down the hallway, "but first we have to find you some suitable clothes. You cannot go out there in" Blair pause and looked him up and down "that. Or with that hair. Dan, it's time to get it cut. I've been nice about it for too long now."

"Whatever you say, Blair." Dan said between smiles, "Whatever you say."


End file.
